Melbourne Live Music Census Full Report Released

During this week’s sold out Music Cities Convention, Music Victoria announced the complete findings from the 2017 Melbourne Live Music Census, to over 300 music industry leaders from across the globe.

The study, which involved more than 2000 respondents, showed that:

More music fans in Melbourne listen to community/public radio stations Triple RRR and PBS FM, than any commercial station. This happens in no other major city in the world.

In a single week the iconic Tote Hotel presents over 50 bands.

Twenty-five years ago, a loaf of bread cost on average $0.28. The average cost is now $2.38. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that, since that time, incomes have grown annually by 4%. Except for musicians! Artists are being paid the same fee for gigs in 2017 that they were paid twenty-five years ago.

Musicians cited the main barrier to their music practice is financial viability (47%) with 69% of respondents saying that their music earning does not cover the costs of their music practice.

The main problems affecting venues holding live music events are noise restrictions (67%) and property developments (47%).

The annual audience for live music in Melbourne (17.5 million) is nearly triple that for all major sports games in Melbourne combined (6.5 million).

Patrick Donovan, CEO of state music peak body Music Victoria, said they would study the survey results to identify problems and areas of weakness within the music industry that can be targeted; whether it’s artist pay or local government compliance, to improve Australia’s live music capital to become a leading city worldwide.

“While the topline figures of the census reveal a very robust live music scene, it’s not all rosy underneath. We will use the feedback, along with some of the best ideas discovered at the Music Cities Convention, to feed into an industry white paper to present to the political parties ahead of the upcoming state election,” said Mr Donovan.

Project Manager of the 2017 Live Music Census, Dobe Newton said:“‘Music City’ is the new black! As we increasingly talk about the creative city, the 24/7 city, the nighttime economy … etc, music is at last receiving the attention it deserves as a vital part of our cultural offering to residents and visitors, as an economic generator and job creator, and central to the social fabric of Marvellous Melbourne.”

The results of the survey will be used to lobby investors and decision makers at local and state government level and in the business community, to make sure that we preserve what we have, confront the challenges the industry faces and build an even more impressive Music City.

The full report and infographs can be found here.Motion Design by FloodSlicer